


Shadow in the Night

by franklin_delorean_roosevelt



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Assassination Attempt(s), F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 13:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3490907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franklin_delorean_roosevelt/pseuds/franklin_delorean_roosevelt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suyin thought she could kill Kuvira and put an end to this hellish war, but her past with the Great Uniter surfaces at the most inconvenient time. Suvira from Suyin's perspective. Somewhat canon divergent. Set at the beginning of the Battle of Zaofu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shadow in the Night

This stupid mission had been her idea, hadn’t it?

 

Suyin cursed herself for dragging her sons into this as they crouched outside the Earth Empire’s encampment. Wing and Wei looked excited, damn them. Did they even realize how much danger they were in?

 

“Don’t forget how dangerous Kuvira is,” Suyin said. She knew that better than anybody.

 

“Okay, _mom_ ,” Wei whispered back. The twins smiled briefly, then were serious. “We understand. We care about Zaofu, too, though.”

 

It was hard not to feel pride for these two, and Suyin smiled grimly. “Okay. Let’s see what we’re getting ourselves into.” Suyin set her foot on the ground, sending her senses far into the camp.

 

In the largest tent, she saw a woman asleep. Kuvira. She was alone.

 

Suyin gasped, then abruptly snapped her teeth together, trying to wet her suddenly dry mouth. She whispered, “She’s alone. You go find Junior.”

 

Wing and Wei glanced at each other. “Weren’t we only here for Kuvira? Doesn’t it just make our job easier if he isn’t there?” Wei asked.

 

“No!” Suyin hissed. Her sons glanced at each other again. Whatever they silently communicated made Suyin uneasy, but the feeling passed when they tugged their masks over their faces. They settled their bare feet on the ground, eyes closed, trying to sense Baatar.

 

Deep breaths did nothing to quell Suyin’s pounding heart, and a knot of anxiety settled in her stomach. With Aiwei gone, the twins had eventually decided that they wanted to be the new truth-seers in Zaofu. Suyin had vigorously encouraged them—after all, wouldn’t two opinions be more accurate than one? And with the Great Uniter on the horizon, Zaofu could be horribly vulnerable without a way to root out the spies. She hadn’t expected the gregarious twins to take so quickly to the subtlety of truth-seeing, but their open natures had, in fact, proved to be an advantage to them.

 

She wished she had tempered her encouragement when the twins looked to her with confusion. She leveled a stare at them, meeting their eyes, and they closed their eyes again. They would probably just attribute her sensations to apprehension. Good. Of course Suyin felt apprehension, but she would never let them pinpoint why. She wouldn’t let them detect her other emotions toward Kuvira—whatever they were after three years—either.

 

The twins nodded to her and moved to leave, but she grabbed their shoulders before they could dart away. She pulled them into a quick embrace, then held them at arm’s length. She looked into their eyes, then said, “Once you get Baatar, you need to get out of here. Quickly. Silently. Don’t wait for me.”

 

Wing frowned, “But what if—“

 

“No, Wing. Even if I fail, we will at least get your brother back.”

 

Wing nodded, then the brothers darted into the camp.

 

Suyin drew in a shaky breath and pulled her own mask over her face. She shook her shoulders, puffing out her breath. She did this same routine before her dance recitals, but it did nothing to relax her right now. She stared at the camp. Few of the tents had lights in them, but in the light of the full moon, she could easily see the organization of the camp. Each tent was laid out in a nearly flawless block pattern. Suyin allowed herself a self-congratulatory moment. Kuvira had probably learned these organizational skills from Zaofu. Now that she was turning those skills against her city, however, Suyin could hardly smile upon it.

 

Thinking about Kuvira, especially Kuvira’s past in Zaofu, twisted Suyin’s stomach into more knots. She sighed and set her foot on the ground again. She sensed Kuvira, laying on her back on a military cot. Kuvira cared little for luxuries. She lay rigid, filled with tense energy even in sleep. She had always slept like that. Suyin smiled despite herself. It was so like Kuvira, always at attention. The moment of affection sickened Suyin, and she tasted bile at the thought of what she was about to do to Kuvira. _Her_ Kuvira _._

 

Suyin took another bracing breath, thinking instead of her family in Zaofu, and finally dashed into the camp. It took several agonizing minutes of dodging the nighttime patrols before she crouched near the rear of Kuvira’s tent. She watched for patrols as she used one of her blades to pry out one of the tent’s stakes—they were platinum, like almost every godforsaken piece of metal in this camp. After another few moments of wrangling the stake, Suyin lifted the loose edge of the tent and rolled inside.

 

Suyin knelt in near total darkness. A sliver of moonlight filtered in through the tent’s flap. She stayed motionless, letting her eyes adjust until she could see the spartan furnishings in Kuvira’s tent. It was just like her, wasn’t it? Kuvira’s strict sense of…strictness permeated everything about this army. Suyin had been about to think of Kuvira’s strict sense of honor or duty, but leaving Zaofu had ruined both of those.

 

Suyin was glad for Kuvira’s ascetic nature now as she slunk toward the cot without stumbling on any misplaced furniture. As she stood over Kuvira, she took one last glance at her protégé. In the time that Kuvira was gone, Suyin had finally come to the bitter realization that even though Suyin had claimed Kuvira was like her daughter, Kuvira had never really felt like one to her. It must have isolated the girl, but Suyin would obviously have never felt as…comfortable with Kuvira if she had acted like her mother. Would things be different right now if Suyin had treated her that way?

 

Of course things would have been different. Suyin wouldn’t be an assassin in the night, gripping her platinum knife, raising her arm to make the deadly strike. Swift, clean, painless, undetected. Suyin bit her lip and took one last, regretful glance at Kuvira’s face.

 

She dropped the knife when she saw Kuvira staring back at her.

 

The grin that split Kuvira’s face was a white slash in the moonlight. She sat up and Suyin stumbled back, stunned. As Kuvira stood and turned on the harsh, fluorescent lamp, she stretched and yawned. She was completely at ease. Suyin, however, couldn’t breathe. With her heart pounding and hands shaking, she searched frantically for an exit, but she knew that flight was futile. Her only choice was to fight, but as she set her stance, Kuvira flicked a wrist and encased her in a rock prison. The stones scraped Suyin’s chin and held her arms fast. Suyin glared at Kuvira in a fear-fueled rage. She would have given her left arm to breathe fire in that moment. Kuvira simply gave her a flat stare in return.

 

The guards, hearing the commotion, burst into the tent. When they saw Suyin, they began to move into action, but another wave of Kuvira’s hand called them off. “I have it handled. Remain at attention outside and wait for my call.” The guards left, and Kuvira didn’t give them a second glance. She simply stared at Suyin, her expression ureadable.

 

“You don’t share a bed with Baatar?” Suyin spat. She had honestly said the first thing that came into her mind, and she had miscalculated. Her face flushed. She hoped she looked enraged, rather than embarrassed.

 

“Neither did you, for a time,” Kuvira murmured. She knew exactly why Suyin had asked that. She knew exactly why Suyin was here alone. And the reference to the elder Baatar hit Suyin like a stone in her gut.

 

“You made a grave mistake in coming here.” Kuvira’s voice was soft and measured.

 

“Well, it’s not the worst mistake that I’ve made,” Suyin growled. The words were pointed, but Kuvira didn’t flinch. She simply stepped toward Suyin and tore down her hood. She leaned forward until her lips were barely brushing Suyin’s ear.

 

“You never quite learned from your mistakes, did you?” Kuvira’s breath was hot on Suyin’s neck, and Suyin shuddered shakily, her eyes closing briefly. They snapped open when she realized her error. She had laid her feelings bare, again, and Kuvira didn’t miss an instant.

 

The stone prison snapped back into the ground, and Suyin stumbled out. Kuvira caught her in a firm embrace. It was equal parts affection and control, and Kuvira’s strong arms kept Suyin in a firm grip.

 

Suyin relaxed for only a moment, inhaling the familiar, sharp, distinctly _Kuvira_ tang of metal and sweat. The moment disappeared, however, when Suyin came to herself and tore away, shoving Kuvira away. Kuvira stepped back, still on solid footing, but Suyin stood shaking.

 

The moment and the familiarity had broken Suyin, though. She crumpled to the ground, along with her resolve. Finally, she collapsed into quiet, sobbing breaths.

 

Kuvira knelt and drew Suyin into another embrace. It was awkward—both of them were still on the ground—but its sincerity and softness startled Suyin. She choked out a laugh through her tears. “You were just as scared as I was,” she stuttered.

 

Kuvira exhaled a short laugh and let go. She leaned back until she was kneeling, facing Suyin. “Not quite. Don’t forget that you entered _my_ domain.” She thrust her chin into the air, regal and distant, the Great Uniter once again.

 

“You don’t have to put on this dignified show with me,” Suyin said softly. “You’ve terrified me enough.”

 

Kuvira shook her head. “You’re incorrect in assuming my demeanor is a show, Su. I am perfectly comfortable in the role I have taken up. It is as much a part of me as you were.” Kuvira said the last part softly.

 

Suyin frowned, refusing to meet Kuvira’s eyes. The Great Uniter placed one ungloved hand under Suyin’s chin and tilted it toward her.

 

“Why did you try to do this, Suyin?” Kuvira’s voice was gentle now, pleading. “You know I can’t let you get away now.”

 

Kuvira removed her hand, and Suyin remained wordless.

 

“We wouldn’t have reached this point if you had joined me three years ago,” Kuvira said flatly.

 

“You know it wasn’t my place,” Suyin’s voice was firm. “And even if I had approved of your quest back then, I most certainly wouldn’t want to follow you now. You have so much blood on your hands.”

 

Kuvira stood then, with a tiny huff. She turned and strode away for a few steps, her full bravado on display. “A surgeon also has blood on their hands,” she said. “I have healed the Earth Kingdom. I’ve made the Earth Empire safer, more stable, and more advanced than you ever did in your enclave. But why are we fighting about this? We don’t have much time, and you already know how I feel.” She strode back to Suyin and offered her hand, which Suyin took. Kuvira drew her up until they were both standing.

 

Then her hands were on Suyin’s waist, drawing her closer. Suyin froze, but made no move to stop her. One of Kuvira’s hands slipped to Suyin’s lower back, and the other ghosted across her face. The look in Kuvira’s eyes was tender, poignant, and everything about the former guard that Suyin felt she had lost.

 

Before she could think twice, she had closed the final distance between them and pressed her lips to Kuvira’s.

 

Suyin felt rather than heard Kuvira’s gasp. A slight parting of lips was the only surprise that Kuvira showed before she returned the kiss in earnest.

 

Kuvira had never been a romantic, but she was an ardent, passionate lover. Her arm slid around Suyin’s waist now, pulling their bodies flush. Her other hand tangled in Suyin’s hair. Suyin had started this kiss, but Kuvira would be the one to finish it off.

 

Suyin clutched the straps on Kuvira’s tank top, and she kept her tight grip when Kuvira finally broke off the kiss, leaving her breathless and dizzy. She gulped in great, deep breaths of air while Kuvira stared at her, lips slightly parted. Before Suyin could recover, Kuvira closed her eyes and pulled her into another rough kiss.

 

They had been apart for long enough, and they had no time for chaste, pure kisses. This kiss was a clash of indomitable wills, with both women equally powerful and lustful. Suyin’s hands now grabbed Kuvira’s face roughly. The kiss deepened, both women taking sharp breaths through their noses.

 

Suyin’s tongue flicked out, testing Kuvira’s lips. Kuvira grinned, her lips tight for a brief second, before she nipped Suyin’s lip. Suyin moaned, but when her lips opened, Kuvira took that opportunity to strike. Their tongues met, and Suyin’s moan morphed into a sigh. Kuvira was all sharpness, from her teeth to her breath, sour from sleeping. She pierced Suyin’s soul, filling a void that had been empty these three years.

 

The citizens of Zaofu had whispered about Suyin after Kuvira left. She had taken the guard captain’s absence almost too personally. They had no idea how personal that betrayal actually was to Suyin.

 

Vague concerns for her family and for her city were forgotten as Kuvira swept her hands behind Suyin’s thighs and lifted the woman off the ground. Suyin wrapped her legs around Kuvira’s waist and wrapped her arms around Kuvira’s neck, refusing to break their kiss until Kuvira dropped her on the cot.

 

Suyin landed with a huff and pulled her lover down after her. Kuvira grabbed her wrists, pinning them to the cot. With an animal growl, she buried her face in the crook of Suyin’s neck, biting at the soft flesh. Suyin moaned and strained against Kuvira’s grip. When she finally squirmed a hand free, she went on the attack, grabbing one of Kuvira’s breasts. She teased the tip with her fingers, twisting and pulling it, and Kuvira groaned deeply. She struggled to grab Suyin’s wrist again, but Suyin was too fast for her and she slipped her hand under Kuvira’s loose tank top. She ran her hand across the toned muscles of Kuvira’s stomach. The young woman was in her prime, perfectly muscled and _glorious_ , and Suyin wanted all of her. A curious lust had settled in her core, and she felt as if she were half her age again, a new and eager lover.

 

Shouts rang from outside the tent, and Kuvira shot away from Suyin, sitting bolt upright on the bed. She looked out of the tent, sitting raptly at attention. Suyin stared at her with half-lidded eyes, panting. She feebly clutched at the hem of Kuvira’s pants, but her lover had become the Great Uniter once again as she stood up, fluidly metalbending her armor on as she strode out the tent’s door.

 

“What’s going on?” she demanded of the guards outside.

 

“A group of assassins is taking Baatar, ma’am!”

 

When she returned to the tent, Suyin was sitting up on the narrow cot. They regarded each other with swollen lips and narrowed eyes for a moment, before Suyin stood and raised her fists.

 

“If you leave now, you can escape in the distraction. Your other sons will probably get away with Baatar,” Kuvira said, “but I can retrieve my fiancée when I take Zaofu. I’ll see you soon, Su.” The tender nickname didn’t fit with Kuvira’s cold tone, and Suyin shuddered as she slipped under the edge of the tent, disappearing into the camp, then the woods once again.

 

When she was safely outside the range of the patrols, she couldn’t resist and she planted her foot on the ground, sensing Kuvira. She hadn’t expected to find Kuvira in her tent, but the young woman still stood where Suyin had left her. Her hand was to her mouth.

 

Suyin hurried toward Zaofu, but when she finally reached the dome, she couldn’t bring herself to open an entrance. How had she ever allowed things to get this complicated? She was exhausted, lovelorn, and utterly desperate. Everything had changed, now, hadn’t it? She crumpled into a heap, wracked with sobs. Tomorrow, even her city would be taken from her, and nothing would be the same.


End file.
